PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies responded to three separate incidents last week involving individuals who were experiencing behavioral health crises.
In each case, the individual posed a danger to themselves or others and engaged in significant criminal activity, including extensive property damage and injuries to deputies, the Sheriff’s Office said.
All three individuals were detained and were either booked into the Clallam County Jail or sent for evaluation and treatment under the Involuntary Treatment Act, the agency said.
Information obtained during the investigations revealed that each individual had consumed high-potency THC cannabis concentrates, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Recent studies from 2024 and 2025 show a growing, evidence-based correlation between high-potency THC products and increased rates of psychosis, paranoia and violent or erratic behavior, particularly among adolescents and young adults, the agency said. Research indicates daily users in the 18-34 age group are nearly twice as likely to engage in violent behavior compared to non-users.
Today’s cannabis products are significantly more potent than in previous decades, the Sheriff’s Office said, with THC levels having tripled over the past 25 years. High-potency products disrupt brain systems responsible for judgment, impulse control and emotional regulation, increasing the likelihood of behavioral crises.
Law enforcement agencies nationwide are experiencing an increase in crisis calls related to acute intoxication and cannabis-induced psychosis. These incidents present challenges for both public safety and emergency response, particularly given the lack of reliable roadside testing for active THC impairment, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The agency encouraged the public to use caution with high-THC cannabis products and recognize the potential impacts the substances can have on individual health and public safety.
